BRADY
I hangmy keys on the hook beside the door and walk through the living room with vaulted ceilings and straight to the kitchen where the liquor cabinet is. I need about two gallons of alcohol to help wipe away the memory of Camila’s soft and pliant body wrapped around mine, and even then, I doubt it will help.
My phone chimes in my pocket and I pull it out to check the screen. I smile as I accept the call.
“Hey, Wen.”
“You know I hate when you call me that,” my little sister’s voice greets me.
“And you know I only do it because it bugs you.”
Her sigh is audible. “You just live to pester me, don’t you?”
I chuckle. “You know it.” Unscrewing the top of the bottle off with one hand, I pour myself a small amount of Maker’s. “To what do I owe the honor of your call? We usually do these in the evenings.”
I bring my drink to my lips as I wait for her response.
“No particular reason. I’m waiting in the car for Jack to finish up in the auction’s office, and I’m bored.”
My sister, her husband, and their two children live on a farm in California. Every time I talk to her, I’m reminded again how grateful I am that she found a good man like Jack. After everything she’s been through, she, more than anyone, deserves her happiness.
I lean against the counter and cross my ankles. “So which was it this time? Cow, pigs, or sheep?”
“Actually, it was a couple of pygmy goats. Caleb and Emery have been bugging us to get some ever since Jack showed them the jumping videos.”
I laugh and look down at my loafers. “You guys spoil those kids rotten.”
Wendy snorts. “You’re one to talk. It wasn’t us who bought Caleb the monster truck Power Wheels and the mansion dollhouse for Emery for Christmas last year. Besides, there’s no way you can tell me you won’t do the same with yours when you have kids.”
My good mood plummets. Kids are not in my future. Not because I wouldn’t mind having one or two. There’s simply no way I’ll ever have them with Addison, and unfortunately, I’m stuck with the woman.
Speaking of the evil woman, the back of my neck prickles with unease. I knew Addison was home, but I had hoped I would have a couple of hours of peace and quiet before I would have to deal with her. Addison is an artist, so she spends most of her time at home in her studio. That studio has kept my sanity intact over the years.
“I need to let you go,” I tell Wendy, the lightness in my voice from a moment ago now gone. “Something just came up.”
I hang up before Wendy can question my abrupt mood change.
I don’t turn to Addison right away. Instead, I pour myself another healthy drink and savor the taste as it burns going down my throat. Then, with a deep exhale, I slowly spin around. I haven’t even fully turned when something is thrown at me. I catch it when it hits my chest. I know right away what the silky silvery material is.
“You want to explain to me why I found a pair of women’s panties in your slacks pocket?”
Goddamn it to hell. I meant to grab those this morning from the pants I wore yesterday. Every day, since that night at the motel, I’ve carried them with me. It’s creepy as fuck, even I know that, and every day I tell myself I’ll toss them in the trash, but somehow they end up back in my pocket. I’ve even jacked off with them wrapped around my cock a few times. Thank fuck they’ve been washed since the last time I did it. The anger radiating off Addison would be ten times worse had she found the panties filled with jizz.
I fist the material and bring them to my side as I hold Addison’s incensed stare.
“What were you doing in my room?”
Addison and I haven’t shared a room in years. I can’t stand to be around the bitch, let alone sleep in the same bed as her. Of course, she hated it and threw a fit when I moved out of the master bedroom.
“Seriously, Brady?” She props a manicured hand on her hip and glares at me. “That’s your response?”
“Yes,” I bite out. “My room is off limits, so why in the hell were you in there?”
She takes a few steps further into the kitchen, the heels of her stilettos clicking on the tile floor. Sparks fly from her eyes, and if I were a lesser man, the look may give me pause. But I’m used to seeing the ugliness on her face.
At one point, I found Addison pretty. Slender form with dramatic curves to fit perfectly against a man’s body. Stunning, crystal-blue eyes. Luscious, blonde hair down to the middle of her back. We met and became friends our freshman year of high school when her family moved to Silver Falls. I knew early on she was interested in me, but I never felt the same way. She was sweet and funny and outgoing, but there was something in the back of my head that always made me stop and think when the thought crossed my mind to make her more than a friend. It wasn’t until our senior year of college when I found out what it was.
I clench my teeth and push those memories away. I hate thinking about the past and the reason I’m in the situation I’m in.